| The 4th of July holiday is right around the corner | | | | companion animal and must be kept quite active |
| and with it comes some all-American favorites: | | | | so activities such as water sports and agility |
| outdoor barbeques, fireworks, and holiday | | | | training are perfect for her to enjoy. American |
| parades. So in honor of our country's | | | | Water Spaniels have tightly curled oily coats that |
| independence and all things American, here's a | | | | make them almost "waterproof". Group that with |
| salute to the "Top 5 All-American Dog Breeds": | | | | the fact that this breed is a strong swimmer |
| 1. Alaskan Malamute | | | | makes them an ideal match for water fowl |
| A descendant of Arctic wolves, this breed is | | | | hunting. They are easily trained as long as the |
| named after the native dialect of the Alaskan | | | | owner is not too demanding and establishes |
| Inupiaq Eskimos. The Eskimos treated their dogs | | | | herself as the "alpha dog". |
| as part of the family and made sure that they | | | | 4. Boston Terrier aka "Boston Bull" |
| were fed a natural, raw meat diet (their main | | | | The Boston Terrier is a cross between the English |
| protein source being raw fish) to ensure strong, | | | | Bulldog and the White English Terrier. They were |
| healthy and happy dogs. Since the Alaskan | | | | originally developed in Boston, Massachusetts as |
| Malamute was mainly used for hauling and travel, | | | | pit-fighters but are now bred as companion |
| it was important that they breed only the | | | | animals. Being a companion animal at heart, Boston |
| strongest, smartest and most reliable dogs which | | | | Terriers are not good outdoor dogs but instead |
| are the characteristics you see in the Alaskan | | | | do well as family pets and even therapy dogs. |
| Malamute of today. This breed is extremely loyal | | | | They have cherry dispositions, are extremely |
| and friendly but has destructive tendencies if the | | | | intelligent and quick to learn. Since this breed is |
| proper discipline and exercise is not enforced. | | | | also quite active, sports like agility and fly ball are |
| 2. American Foxhound | | | | perfect for him. |
| This breed was developed in Maryland and Virginia | | | | 5. Chesapeake Bay Retriever aka "Chessie" |
| during the early 1700's and is a cross between | | | | The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is a cross |
| the Walker, Goodman and Trigg strains of hounds. | | | | between the Newfoundland, English Otter Hound, |
| These three strains of hounds all trace back to a | | | | Flat-Coated Retriever and Curly-Coated Retriever. |
| black and tan hound from Tennessee known for | | | | This breed is named after the region where it |
| his superior hunting and chasing skills. Tennessee | | | | was developed and is Maryland's official state dog. |
| Lead, as this hound was called, was stolen by a | | | | He is revered as the toughest water retriever of |
| trader in November 1852 who then sold the dog | | | | them all and is known to be able to swim in harsh |
| to President George Washington. The president | | | | conditions and retrieve for long hours if needed. |
| was a hunting dog aficionado who later ran a | | | | His short-haired oily coat enables him to hunt |
| breeding program and is thought of as the father | | | | waterfowl in the icy cold waters of the Atlantic |
| of the American Foxhound. This breed is a natural | | | | Ocean. This breed is a wonderful outdoor dog |
| runner and does well in open spaces. She makes | | | | perfect for an active outdoorsy-type of owner. |
| a great family pet as she gets along nicely with | | | | If you do decide to adopt a dog - whether it be |
| small children and other pets. Training an American | | | | an American breed or not - make sure to feed |
| Foxhound does take some patience as she can | | | | him or her a diet that they are designed to eat. A |
| be quite stubborn and strong-willed. | | | | BARF diet - or bones and raw food diet - is what |
| 3. American Water Spaniel | | | | Mother Nature has designed our canine |
| The American Water Spaniel is a sporting dog | | | | companions to digest for optimum health and |
| used for retrieving game and is the official state | | | | nutrition. This is the best way to ensure a long |
| dog of Wisconsin where it is believed to have first | | | | and happy life for your pet! |
| been developed. This breed is a wonderful | | | | |